Only time Can tell
by Airmattressphonesex
Summary: When Naruto is sent back to the past, he has keep a low profile, which proves to be easier said then done. After being placed on under Tsunade's care, as part of her students, he has to fight the urge to change things for himself. Will he act on impulse, or relive some of the most painful parts of his life?
1. Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!

_Hey guys! This is my first story and I hope you like it! Please comment, i love feedback. Slight mentions of nh/ss. There's gonna be some ns, but a lot of it'll be platonic, as Sakura is a genin and Naruto is an adult. There will be some romantic ns, though!_

My eyes fluttered open, briefly taking in the brightness, before snapping shut again. The intense rays of sun nearly burned my skin, irritating the especially thin, gentle tissue of my eye lids. I opened them again, my thick eyelashes brushed gently against each other. I hoped this time around they'd do their job and protect my eyes. I knew that this wasn't their actual responsibility, at least not from the sun, but I liked to think it was. I wanted someone to blame this on, as illogical as it sounds. I lazily rolled over to my side, as a sharp painful sensation quickly spread across my body. I not only had a splitting headache, but I seemed to be bleeding as well. I used my bandaged arm to cup to the source of the blood, which was now almost dry. The red ran through the white fabric and no doubt would stain my Zetsu arm. The clumps of red and black goo stuck together and seemingly taunted me. I never had anything against getting messy, but I have preferred to keep the bandages clean, as it was a pain in the ass to rewrap the arm and it's not like it was cheap. I laid back down and closed my eyes tightly. I counted to three, before sitting up abruptly.

The dry, thick skin that was already scarring from whatever had left the laceration, had no doubt torn open. There were bruises lining my body. Blotches of tender, blue and purple skin had formed randomly, leaving me kinda worried. I gasped in pain, suddenly being more aware of my surroundings. My eyes darted to a tree, situated to about four yards behind me. A small figure shifted, unmoving, with hands on either side of the tree. It was clearly a young girl, so I wasn't afraid or anything. Ever since the end of the war, I've had many young admirers, mainly young boys, but girls looked up to me as well. I didn't wanna scare the kid, but I thought it would be funny, and I could use a good laugh right now. I put on my scariest face and turned around slowly. I stumbled to my feet and reached out for a tree, as I was still holding my side. I chuckled, which proved to be a mistake. Pain rattled through my ribcage, and I coughed up some blood. The girl, a bit more sympathetic than I would have been, ran up to me. I turned to look at her.

"Hinata?"

It was amazing, she was a spitting image of her, at least when she was twelve. It was a shame that things didn't work out between us, I really liked her, but she had her eyes on other things. I had admired her for that. She worked hard, and ever since she got over her twelve year crush on me, she's been training and working on her clan relations. The Hyuugas have never looked better.  
She looked up at me again, and had a puzzled look on her face. She slowed to halt, and activated her Byakugan. I started trembling. I haven't seen her fight in a while, but I remember the chunin exams. She looked like she was going to destroy me, and I knew it. Or, at least I thought I did. I could feel her chakra waiving, she was trembling too. I wanted to assure her that I could never hurt her, but I'm not great with children. I leaned in, taking my hand from my side. I placed them both in front of me, showing her that they were bare.  
The closer I got, the more she looked like Hinata, it was getting scarily strange and I didn't know what was going on. She turned off her Byakugan and gave me a shaky smile. She was more scared of me than anything. That was even more bizarre than her looking like Hinata. Children weren't afraid of me. I was practically a household name. Random people ran up and gave me presents and gifts. I was scared too now.

"How do you know my name sir? Who are you?"

I gasped, did this mean I was right? Is she really Hinata? I mean of course, 'ttebayo, but why is she young and little?

I regained my composure, forgetting, temporarily about the shooting pain going up half my body. I looked at her a little longer. If this wasn't Hinata, then there was some weirdo out there, dressing their child to look exactly like her, down to the detailed Byakugan. Of course, that made no sense, but I was desperate. But I guess weirder things have happened, like when my own father sealed away demon inside of me.

"You seriously don't me?"

Is this a genjutsu? I put fingers together, forming hand signs.

"Release!"

Nothing happened, I did it over and over until another voice interrupted me.

Her eyes widened as they had done only a few moments ago. They narrowed and she took her arm up to her chest and backed away slowly.

"...Naruto-kun…?"

I smiled a wide, toothy grin at her, nodding furiously. If she wasn't scared before, she definitely is now. If I could see myself, I'd be afraid too. I probably look insane. I could feel myself making her uncomfortable, and no doubt confusing the hell out of her, but I couldn't stop. The first thing that starts to make sense and I wasn't letting it go.

"Hinata! Where are you?"

Twigs and branches were snapping in the distance, meaning that voice was definitely looking for her. I knew that voice, it sounded strangely like Kiba's. This must be them, it had to be. This was too weird to be a coincidence. He walked over to her and stopped when he saw me. He took notice of the band around my arm, knowing that he couldn't take on an elite jonin. Kiba looked at whiskers, and mouthed something along the lines of Uzumaki. It seemed as if he was questioning it. At twelve or thirteen, he didn't know any other Uzumakis, so maybe he thought that the whiskers were genetic. He eyed me up and down, pulling Hinata closer by her grey parka. They quickly took a couple of steps back, before reuniting with the rest of Team eight. Kurenai, covered in scratches, came out from behind a couple of trees, holding a black and white tabby cat. She walked closer to me, handing the cat to Shino.

When she came near me, my heart started beating faster. I don't know what it was, but I knew that I felt safe. At least safe enough to pass out. So I did.

…

I looked down, feeling groggy. The lower half of my body was in pure agony, covered only by a thin, paper-like, hospital gown. The initial bleeding was gone, and so was the sharp pain, but it was replaced by something way worse than I could imagine. I tried to make out my surroundings, although it was painfully clear that this was the infirmary. I sighed in relief, running my hands down my torso. There were stitches going along my abdomen down to my pelvic region. Whatever got me, got me good. It was safe to say that they won this fight. I wanted to laugh, but it was troubling and ridiculous that I couldn't account for a large portion of time. The last thing I remember is Kurenai, and I think she carried me back…?

I sat back in the uncomfortably, small bed, looking at the television propped on the wall. A soap was on and I couldn't find the remote. There weren't all bad, and, as a matter of fact, they were all I use to watch as a kid. It started as me not having anything better to do and coming home too late from missions, to developing into a passion, and then dying back down. I peaked at 16, only watching them and nothing else. Most people were surprised to find out that I loved drama, but I do. It's interesting. I still know all of the characters to most of the shows, but I haven't kept up with them in about five years. So much must've happened, the stuff I know must be considered common knowledge by now. My father said I inherited it from my mother, but I wish we had more time to talk. My mother and I.

People walked and ran past my room, sometimes carrying people on stretchers and other times by themselves. Often it was students, as young as genin. They were adorable, just like Sakura. I remember how happy she was when granny Tsunade took her under her wing. She couldn't have been more then thirteen years old, and that's when I loved her the most. We were so young and happy. Of course we missed Sasuke, but he gave us something to bond over. A common interest! One thing we were both upset over, but the best part was that it was only us. Of course his other fan girls missed him, but they didn't love him like we did. We didn't have to share our grief, or our tears, or even our time with anyone but us. It was like losing your best friend, but for real. Like we'd never see him again. And when we did, he tried to kill Sakura, someone that missed him as much as I did.

It was like having hope in rebuilding a family, but then having a third of that family walk out. No, it was worse than that, walking meant they didn't care about you. Trying to kill you meant they hated you. He killed any hope that the two of us had about being whole again. But I can't be mad at him, neither of us really had his best interest at heart, anyway. I wished we would have tried harder to understand him…

My arms were wrapped behind head as I leaned over to the side, looking out of the window. The sky in Konoha was never this clear anymore… at least not like they were ten years ago.

I eased up the brooding and moodiness. That was then, and this now. Sasuke came back, he left again, but at least we're on good terms. I know where he is, we keep in touch and he 's safe, the way I wish it would've been when we were younger. I smiled, I love thinking about old team Kakashi.

The door opened and the light from the hallway lit up the dim room, glaring off of the window, hiding the stars. I turned slowly to see them, as I didn't want to risk tearing my stitches. Shizune walked in, followed by Tsunade… and Kakashi, Kurenai and Ebisu. Why is the whole circus coming to check on me? I guess I don't mind, these are the smartest people I know, so I guess it is best to have them around. I didn't say a word, I just turned around to face them. I don't want to be difficult, I just want answers. I sat back and really took in their features, they were all younger. Especially Kakashi. Tsunade sat next to my bed, looking at a clipboard. She made a couple of marks, and she would look up at me, and then she'd write something else. She sighed, rubbing her temples, looking back at everyone she'd brought with her.

"There's no doubt about it, he's Naruto Uzumaki… But he's only around fourteen, he left a couple of months ago, with Jiraiya. He would've called if Naruto had been coming back so early. Something isn't right."

Shizune came forward.

"I don't think that's the case Lady Tsunade. He's aged way too fast. Physically, he's around his early 20s."

They all gasped. This was weird… to say the least. They think that I'm fourteen… and still travelling with Pervy Sage? I don't know how long I was out, but last time I checked, Master Jiraiya was still dead and Kakashi was hokage. Although, maybe I was bad at keeping up with the times. I'm not even sure about what had happened with Ebisu or Shizune, but yet, here they were. I had a ton of questions.

"Granny Tsunade? I'm not fourteen. I'm 22. I think something happened, but don't rule it out, no matter how crazy it sounds."

Kakashi sat in the other chair at the end of the bed.

"Team Kurenai found in the forest. You were bloodied and bruised and all around, you were hurt. Bad. It looks like something had nearly torn you in half. Listen."

He leaned in, beckoning me forward.

"You were sent back from the future. Around ten years. Don't worry, this happens a bit more often then you think it would. As I'm sure you already know this, you are a reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki. To counteract Indra, his brother, he created his own technique. Indra's Kamui allows him to travel through dimensions, but Ashura's allows time travel. Although it seemed as though Asura had bested his brother, Indra still had the upper hand. Asura's technique, which is a very powerful combination of fuin, gen and ninjutsu, could only stay on that timeline, while Indra could still jump between whichever he wanted. It's very rare, so whoever sent you back must've been very powerful. I don't know how strong you are now, but it's safe to say that you're lucky to be alive."

My head was spinning, and I still had no idea what was going on. A wave of relief washed over me when I realised that Kakashi and I came to the same conclusion. He was really smart, and I.. not so much, so people had to listen to him. Thank goodness Kakashi and I were on the same page. I thought I was going insane. I had no words. Nothing.

Tsunade spoke up.

"I'm sure you're aware, but I am the current Hokage. We're still grieving the loss of Lord 3rd, and the citizens wouldn't be able to comprehend something like this, without some kind of outrage. So lay low."

She was taking this really well. Was that it? Lay low? I'm on the verge of a panic attack and granny's only advice is to take it easy? I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. A toothy grin spread across Shizune's mug and she clasped her hands together, jumping around. This was very immature and I wanted to join in.

"Kakashi said that you were a reincarnation of Asura, right?"

I was kinda shocked that they knew. I hadn't even known all of this until I was 17, around five years ago. At the time, It was funny, and confusing, and it made me feel invincible. Well, at least until I remembered the war going on. I had to ask them how they knew.

"While you were under, we had Inoichi Yamanaka read your memories. They were quite fuzzy, but we found some details, mainly some things you had learned within the last 10 years. While we couldn't make out most of it, we were able to scrap together and salvage that you were brutally beaten in a fight and sent back here, for no apparent reason. And yes, Shizune, that was what I said."

She lit up, smiling boldly.

"Well then, with the right training, you might be able to unlock the same power, or something close to it. The same way you did with Asura's chakra. It's a long shot, but it's worth it!"

Tsunade nodded, her arms loosely folded across her chest.

"Okay then. Tomorrow, you'll begin training with me and my current students. We'll be waiting for a message from Jiraiya, and until then, you'll be my pupil."

The meeting was adjourned, although it felt short. But like they said, this happened quite a bit more often than you would think. They must go through this kind of thing often. I couldn't wait for tomorrow. There was so much I wanted to do as a child, but couldn't afford/tall enough.

I was still worried though. Could me being here affect my current life in the future? Will I somehow mess everything up? I lowered my body slowly, the pain was still there and most of the bruises were on my back. This was no way to live.


	2. Training Grounds

_Hey guys! I was so happy to see all of the support I was getting after posting chapter! In one day, OTCT had gotten over 98 readers! I hope you guys'll enjoy this one, too! It's a bit longer, so there's that. Anyway, please like and review! Oh, and how do you guys normally read it? Do you read on a desktop or your phones/tablets? If you do read on a desktop, I recommend changing the default view to 1/2 by clicking on the three bars._

...

While Tsunade had predicted that I'd be better by the next morning, that, sadly, wasn't the case. It had already been three days, and I couldn't take anymore. I was reaching my breaking point, everyone kept coming in and out of my room, checking my vitals, switching out my fluids and muting the tv, while I was watching something. As a child, I never spent much time in the hospital, as Kurama always healed my wounds. I'm sure that was only the case as he couldn't stand being here either. But, now that he's older, and more accustomed to being sealed inside myself, I think he doesn't mind. And having them take care of me takes the pressure off of him to do it.

There's always a weird stench, far worse than anything I've ever spelt before. It was a mixture between that sterilizing liquid, alcohol, to treat minor injuries, band-aids, and death. My room was right above the morgue. I don't actually smell the rotting bodies, but I do have to sit through embalming creams and fluids and horrible cries from the families identifying bodies. I always try to look for something to do, like staring at the white paneling, or the white tile, or even, when I'm feeling adventurous, I stare at the white cabinets.

Granny had told me that in a couple of hours, she'd be back to check on me, and if I'm well enough, I could walk around. I wasn't going to fight her on that. My stitches and scarring were still killing me. I often felt light headed, and nauseous. Although, this time around, the pain was less pronounced, and I could stand up straight, without the aid of a walker. I would still need crutches for awhile, but each and everyday, I'm weening myself off of the them. Granny disapproves, though. She tells me that I need them. I wanna surprise her by walking to her, she's always cared so much about my wellbeing, seeing that I'm well enough to walk would certainly make her day.

I sat in silence, leaning back watching the news. They were detailing how Konoha ninjas were dealing with overcoming the terrorist attack. I remember that feeling. We tried to mask it as missing Hiruzen, but really, we were scared. Would any other countries see our vulnerability and try to attack? Thankfully, they hadn't. But at the time, we had no way of knowing. It would of put a lot of minds at ease had we known. The feeling of dread washed over me again, the same way it had when I thought about team 7 being disbanded. I tried to shake the feeling, the same way I always did after the war.

The door crept open, waves of cool air flushed in. I turned over the catch a glimpse of whoever came in. I hadn't had visitors since I was checked in and it was getting lonely. Spiky black hair ducked in, followed by a beige overcoat. They felt familiar, but I couldn't make them out yet. They turned around, carrying a plate of dango.

"Naruto!?"

It was Anko! She was always really cool! A bit of a clutz and a spaz, and she was just like me. I sat up quickly, but tried to lay back down cooly, sorta like what I think Sasuke would do. I smiled cheekily and she returned it. She quickly sat down the plate and gave me a loose hug, aware of my stitches.

"I heard about you from Shizune, but didn't believe it! It sounded crazy, so I wanted to come check on you myself! Oh!" She pulled a note out of her front breast pocket. "It's straight from the hokage herself! Here you go!" She handed it to me and placed her hands on her hips.

I read the note to myself.

 _You can go, idiot._

I hopped out of bed and grabbed my clothes. I looked at Anko, I never realised how pretty she was. I blushed a bit. She jumped back, being frightened by the sudden change. One second, I'm on my death-bed, the next, I'm hastily throwing on a white tee-shirt and some black pants.

"It is crazy. I didn't believe it at first, but then I met with team Kurenai in the forest outside of Konoha. You know what's funny?"

I giggled, and she did too. Every since I grew up, I had that effect on women. They laughed when I laughed. They cried when I cried, and they never took their eyes off of me. I don't mind, it's what twelve year old Naruto always wanted. A lot people are enthralled my bandaged arm, it tells a far more interesting story than I ever could.

"I thought that somebody was creepily dressing their daughter up to look like Hinata." I wiped my nose with my hand and it lazily fell to my side. I shrugged.

"That would've been so weird. But hey! Now I know that's not the case. Could you imagine someone being obsessed with an eleven year old girl?" I snickered. "Did granny tell you anything else? Maybe about where I should meet her?"

She put her finger up to her mouth, looking up. It was funny seeing her stand in the cliche thinking pose.

"Um, go to the Hokage's office, and take the back streets. She doesn't want anyone to see you."

I nodded, thanking her, before fleeing out of the window. She ran behind me, leaning out of it.

"You idiot! That's exactly what she told you not to do! And you need to check out!"

I turned around and waved, I was truly sorry.

,,,

The rays of light felt great against my skin. It tickled and gently caressed every tan crevice, lid and freckle. I needed to get some color back. After being in the hospital for so long, my skin paled. I looked like a ghost. But now, I feel alive again!

I quickly checked in with Shizune, who was behind the front desk. She knew that I'd be arriving and pointed to her office. I've been there enough times to walk there with my eyes closed, but she wanted to help and I couldn't stop her. She ushered me down the long, narrow hallway, grabbing on to my shirt and lightly touching my chest. I felt a bit creeped out, I wanted to believe that she accidently rubbed against me. Did I not look like the little boy that threatened to kick Tsunade's ass that one night in that bar 10 years ago? At least when it was Anko, she tried to be subtle about it. A shiver ran down my spine. I wasn't used to affection this up close from anyone but Hinata. But that's not entirely true, either. Hinata and I weren't close, or at least as close as you'd expect a couple to be after three years of dating. We never moved in with each other, or made moves on each other. Hell, we hadn't even kissed for longer 15 seconds, and each kiss was usually a peck, it never depended. It was all on my part. I never wanted to do anything, at least with her.

When we reached the door, Shizune ran her hand down my back one last time, before giggling. She sounded like a young school girl.

"Bye, Naruto."

I cursed under my breath. I pushed the door open, as it was already cracked. It was quiet inside, but I heard her talking to a couple of people. I felt the urge to scream, and scare everyone in the room. What is with me and scaring unsuspecting people? I quickly let go of the door, as a thin fist punched my in the abdomen. I went flying back and hit the wall. I can really take a beating.

Granny stepped out, her eyes closed in anger. Her fist was balled and she held it up to her chest. I was confused, and like all dumb guys, I get angry when I get confused. I stood up quickly, letting my attitude get the best of me. I quickly remembered that one of the strongest ninja to ever walk the earth was standing right across from me, and quieted.

It was her turn to get angry.

"You idiot! Anko called ahead and told me you jumped out of the window, landing of several awnings and running through the streets! Did you even think about your injuries! Or what would happen if people saw you running through the streets! You know, she didn't have to call me! You know why? Because I saw you coming, from my desk!"

I stood up slowly, still terrified. Anger was radiating off of her like steam. Her presence was as bad Kurama's if you didn't know him. I rubbed one of my hands, preparing to apologize like a child. I shifted my weight from one foot the other. I started stammering.

"W-well, I-I didn't get the m-memo, and you know I guess I wanted...:" I trailed off. She cupped her hand around her ear.

"Speak up!"

"I'm sorry granny Tsunade!" I stood up straight. Although she was most likely a distant cousin over my actual grandmother, she definitely acted like my mother. All I needed to was apologize and she'd forgive me because I was so cute.

She loosened up and crossed her arms.

"In my office are my current pupils. You know most of them as they were apart of your genin class. Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, and a couple of chunin, Shisen Niino and Hotaru Hyuuga. They're gone most of the time on missions, so you won't be seeing much of them. But to them, you are a ninja from Iwagakure, named Arata Chihiro, Okay?"

I nodded, crossing my arms, and closing my eyes in agreement. I didn't fully understand though.

"Okay, I'm Arata. So are you like... Naruto?"

She stared at me, looking completely exasperated. She pointed to herself.

"I'm Tsunade," she stressed, "You're Arata. I'm not changing, you are."

"Well, if you're not changing, neither than I! I gotta stay true to myself, I can't bend my personality so that a couple of girls will like me!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Why are you being difficult, Arata?"

 _Why am I being difficult?_

She pushed me into the room. At the hospital, one of the nurses put make up over my whiskers and made me wear a brunette wig. I could the make up seeping into my pores. I felt nervous and was sweating like hell. I was afraid I might have sweat it off. The girls turned around and looked at me. Sakura had grown her hair out a little more, and Ino's was still short, and in bun from the chunin exams.

Hotaru had dark skin, and long, wavy, black hair. her Byakugan was beautiful, they weren't as wide as Hinata's or Neji's, but they had a more realistic shape. They were pearl, with a lavender tint. Shisen had two long, peach pigtails. I'd say they were pink like Sakura's, but Sakura's pink was like a coral, and Shisen's had a yellowish tint.

They all waved at me, offering strong smiles. They ran up to me and grabbed my arms, leading me to the small table, where it seems they had lunch set up. I sat near the window, the closest to Tsunade's desk.

Sakura quickly began eating again and the others interrogated me. Hotaru propped her elbow on the table and sat her cheek in her hand, and stared at me. She spoke up.

"Soo…. Arata? Are you hungry?" She gestured to their lunches. She smiled bubbly. I wanted to saw no, but my stomach growled loudly. They all giggled. Ino pulled out a mini plastic box from her bag and she, Shisen and Hotaru all took some of their lunch and gave it to me. I was waiting for them to pass it my way, but they were waiting for something else. They all sent angry eyes towards Sakura, who continued to inhale her food. I smiled. After spending so much time with Hinata, it was endearing to see the way girls really behave. She was so afraid that I wouldn't like her, she put on the perfect housewife image. Another factor that contributed to the big split.

She sighed, pouring her rice on top, and angrily sipping her strawberry milk. Everyone else had soda, and I was about to get one from the vending machine, before Shisen offered me the one from Tsunade's desk. It hadn't been opened, and was still fairly cold. I took it and thanked her.

"We're so happy that you're here Arata! Lady Tsuna told us all about you. We've been waiting for almost a week."

I was surprised. Granny had seen me each day I was in the hospital, but she never mentioned the other two girls.

"Oh really? Well, I'm happy to be here, too. When I first arrived, I was in the hospital, and no one came to visit me."

I crossed my arms and pretended to be angry. I huffed. They all looked confused.

"We did visit you, Arata. Like all the time."

Really?

"Really? I guess I was just too out of it. You know gran- Master Tsunade gave me some heavy pain medication."

Hotaru laughed.

"Did you just call her Grand master Tsunade? That's kinda cool, I want to be someone's Grand Master in the Future."

I laughed to, Grand Master Tsunade sounds like crazy stage name she would use to perform with Killer Bee. Luckily, I don't think they heard me, or maybe they did and let it go. Well, I know Hotaru did, kinda. Sakura's rice covered face darted up. Ino looked at her. She went to wipe her face with the napkin, and Sakura let her. Ino looked like she was ready to give up. She sighed with her eyes closed.

"Oh sweetie, you've got to do better. You can't eat like a pig-"

"The girl named Ino, literally pig, is calling me a pig? Well how about that."

She went back to eating savagely. Rice went flying everywhere, and it made me question how much she had brought with her. Clearly there was more than the average serving for lunch, and she had given me two scoops. This girl sure can eat, and so can I.

I laughed at that too. These girls were alright. I could tell they were going to make my stay easier. Easier, but not less confusing. There were still things we had to figure out. And to make it look legit, I'd have to actually train with them and Tsunade. Tsunade's training is hell, no matter how many gods I'm a reincarnation of.

I looked around. The portraits of Hokage were all lined up neatly. The last three, My father's, Granny's and Old man Hiruzen's were actual pictures. The first and second Hokages, Hashirama and Tobirama, were paintings. They were old. Underneath them were copper plaques, with their names and how long they served. Something felt off. The walls looked too empty. Oh! That's right! Kakashi's isn't up there yet. I drummed on the table, staring off into nothing.

"You know," they stopped their conversation and turned towards me. "I always wanted to be Hok- Tsuchikage. I wanted to be the Tsuchikage. Ever since I was a kid."

Shisen nodded. She placed both of elbows on the table and sat her head in her palms, a lot like Hotaru had done. She stared dreamily at the wall. Her brown eyes narrowed and a sly smile crept onto her face. It was cute, she looked at the wall, the way everyone use to look as me. Well, in the present. Or was that now considered the future?

"I don't really have a dream, other than being the best Kunoichi I can be."

The girls all noded.

"I want to be a great ninja," Hotaru spoke. "It seems that everytime someone brings up how great a female ninja is, they have to add, _for a kunoichi_. I want to be like Tsunade, she's not strong for a kunoichi, she's just strong."

Sakura smiled. She flexed her small muscle, and Ino pretended to swoon over it. The girls laughed again, before Ino turned to me.

"What made you want to the Tsuchikage? The only kid I know that wants to be kage is because no one liked him. In the village's defense, he was kinda annoying."

That kinda hurt. There's no way she could've known all I've done for them, or even how much it hurt to be called annoying. I smiled a bit, I didn't want to push any conversation about Naruto any further. Sakura jabbed Ino in the side and she let out a cry.

"What was that for billboard brow!? Ouucchhhh," she rubbed her ribcage.

"Hey! Naruto is out there busting his chops, making sure that he can get strong enough to protect the village! And more importantly me."

I didn't know that Sakura had ever stood up for me. I smiled broadly, a hint of blush spreading across my face. Hotaru looked over at me. Concerned about my wellbeing.

"No one's gonna make fun of him ever again. At least, not in my presence."

Sakura was the superhero that I needed 12 years ago. I wish I could have appreciated and got to know this side of her more. And she's right. Thinking about her was what kept me going during those years.

"Are you feeling okay, Arata? You look hot, are you sure you don't want to take it slow?"

Sakura sat up as well, wiping the rice off of her face and lap.

"Yeah, this is your first day out of the hospital, Arata. You don't want to over do it."

I smiled again. It made me happy that they cared about me. If twelve year old Naruto was here, he would've had a heart attack. Four pretty girls, including Sakura, the Sakura-chan, feeding him and defending him?

A knock came at the door, and behind it was a masculine voice, asking permission to enter. I granted them access, and it was Ebisu. He came to inform the girls that lunch time was over and Tsunade wanted them to relax today and spend time with me.

The girls were over the roof, talking over each other about the places they'd take me and we'd meet their friends. They grabbed me again and this time rushed me towards the door. I felt nearly winded, and little hands were all over my body. Ino was pushing on my back, while Hotaru and Shisen grabbed onto my arms. Sakura was in the front and she led the way.

In the reception office, people stared at us as if we were the circus, or their favorite tv show. We

certainly stood out. I looked like the proud, young father to my four adorable daughters. They pulled me down the crowded streets, past all of the fruit vendors, to the training grounds. This place brought back a ton of memories, as I don't usually come here anymore. They let go of me and I walked to one of dead trees. I ran my hand over the one in front of me and felt the mark I left the first time I practiced Rasengan by myself. The girls were bickering in the back.

"Sakura, why did we bring him here?" Shisen stressed. I'm guessing she doesn't like training in her down time. Hotaru rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around Shisen.

"Because, we want to see how much Arata can do. He must be pretty amazing if he's one of Tsunade's disciples."

I smiled. It was cute how strongly they thought of me. Really? I'm not that great. But I'm not gonna tell them that. It was nice to have someone look up to me. The girls gestured towards me and stepped back. They sat on the sidelines. I looked back at them.

"You know girls, I was also trained by master Jiraiya."

There's no way they could know all of his students, and Sakura had to be smarter than assume that I was the only one he's picked up. Sakura rushed down the small hill to me, stumbling along the way. She was running fast and her foot grazed over a small ant hill. She almost tripped until I caught her. It was hilarious seeing her like this. It was like having a daughter, or even a little sister. Her face was buried in my chest and her hands were either side of my body. She huffed and pushed herself off of me. Dusting off her dress and tying her hair into a ponytail. She posed after she was done, as for to say ta da! For such a neat ponytail.

"How do you know master Jiraiya! Did you meet him in Iwa? Do you know Naruto?" She lwa the grip on my shirt loose, she was clearly nervous about something.

"Is he a good a teacher? Will Naruto get better, I mean yeah, but will he, like keep him safe?" I smiled at her questions. I didn't known that she had cared this much about me, that she did at all. I kneeled down, getting to her level. I tried to sound as comforting as possible.

"Yeah, I'm sure your friend is fine. Master Jiraiya took wonderful care of me as his pupil, and Naruto will get strong. So don't worry, I'm sure he wouldn't wanna see you like this."

I offered a confident smile. It felt good not lying, I wasn't as accustomed to it as I had initially thought. I never had any reason to lie. She smiled too, staring down and blushing. She nodded, perking back up.

"You're right, Arata!"

I poked her forehead, affectionately, the same way Sasuke had. Call it competitive, or my rivalry, but mine was better. Mine didn't symbolize anything. It was just to show her I care. I know that anywhere else this would be considered rude, but I meant it in a nice way.

She placed her hands over her forehead and smiled sweetly. Hotaru, Ino and Shisen came running down the hill. It was small in size so they reached us fairly quickly. Sakura flashed a peace sign.

"Yo!"

They all repeated it as if it was their special greeting. I did it too, trying to fit in. They all giggled, doing it once more to me. I felt like I was jumped in. Hotaru straightened up.

"Are you going to show us what you can do, Arata? We've been waiting." Hotaru held her hands behind her back and swayed. This was tricky as I couldn't show them the rasengan, as Sakura has already seen it. I have a feeling that the genin girls might be onto me. Maybe I'm just paranoid. But, after the war ended, I was given the ability to use all of the elemental releases. Sadly, I didn't know any jutsus. I turned to the girls.

"Well actually… I don't do ninjutsu." They all looked confused.

"What do you do than?" Ino asked. I guess I could show them some taijutsu. That is what I usually fight with. I never really developed my elemental release outside of the rasengan and rasen shuriken.

I walked over to one of the wooden post and struck it. I did it as hard as I could, but when I fight, I don't aim to kill. My punches hurt, but they won't maim you. Sakura stepped up and inspected the newly formed hole. She turned back to me with surprised look, smiling wildly.

"Wow, Arata! THat's great, but watch this!" She drew her arm, widened her stance and threw one of the greatest punches I've ever seen. The post was completely shattered, as for the target board that was behind it on a different tree. I gasped.

"Shannaro!" She jumped up, placing her left hand in the fold of her right arm. Her fist was balled. It was same pose she made in my present day, and the same one my mom made. It was always funny to think about how much they were alike.


End file.
